


January Wedding

by vix_spes



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Romance, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-30
Updated: 2013-01-30
Packaged: 2017-11-27 14:36:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/663119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vix_spes/pseuds/vix_spes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erik can’t quite believe that this is his life…</p>
            </blockquote>





	January Wedding

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Saccharine sweet fluff, probably of the diabetes inducing kind.

* * *

Erik grinned as he saw the email from Raven sitting in his inbox, causing the intern who had just walked into his office to start shaking in fear. Ever since Erik had proposed to Charles (and been accepted), Raven had been bombarding both of them with emails regarding their nuptials which were looming ever closer. Raven had appointed herself wedding planner with willing assistants in the form of Erik’s mother and daughter. He’d regard them both as traitors were he not so fucking ecstatic that Charles had agreed to marry him. Actually marry him. Would be vowing to be Erik’s for the rest of his life.  
  
He had met Charles at a particularly low point and had fallen head over heels. It had taken him a long time to not only believe that Charles loved him but also that he wasn’t going to be leaving. Part of the reason that Erik had been so hesitant was the fact that he wasn’t the only Lehnsherr who had fallen in love with Charles Xavier and should the younger man walk away then he wouldn’t have just been breaking Erik’s heart but those of his children as well. His children, the twins Wanda and Pietro, were the reason that he had moved back to New York so that his parents would be able to help him look after the then eighteen month old twins. Wanda and Pietro were the result of a relationship with a fellow student at Cornell; Magda. She had been older than Erik and had broken things off when she had graduated. Erik hadn’t even known that she was pregnant until she had turned up with the twins just as he had started work at his first proper job as a senior engineer, dumped the twins and then left having turned sole custody over to Erik. He’d had to leave his job (and hadn’t his boss loved that) and move back to New York so that his parents could help him look after the children while he was at work. Any of the other mothers at the temple the Lehnsherrs attended would have been horrified if their son had returned home unmarried and with two children but not Edie Lehnsherr. Erik had long believed that his mama was an angel and this just cemented his belief. While Erik was working as many hours as he could with the firm he had found a job with, Edie and Jakob looked after the children and Erik would often return home to discover his favourite foods from when he was a child waiting to simply be heated up. Edie Lehnsherr’s position as best mama in the world was secured when you factored in the small fact that she had been the one to introduce Erik to Charles. As far as Erik was concerned, Jakob and Edie were the best parents because not only did they not care that he had two children out of wedlock but when he had sat them down as a teenager and said that he liked boys as much as girls, all they had done was pat his hand, ask if he had done his homework and if he was happy with pierogi for dinner.  
  
Erik finally met Charles a year and a half after he and the children had moved to New York and approximately six months after both the twins and his mother had started raving about how wonderful ‘Mr Charles’ was. Erik, along with two of his colleagues, had grown increasingly disillusioned with the firm he had joined and on Jakob’s suggestion had resigned with the intention of starting his own company. His colleagues had done the same and Kozlov, Lehnsherr and Quested, although it was still only in the early stages, looked as though it had a promising future. His meeting had finished early and after a quick phone call had found himself heading to Manhattan and a tiny independent bookstore near Columbia University. As soon as he walked inside, his attention was immediately captivated by the man sat on the floor surrounded by children as he read to them and Erik vaguely clocked that his children were sat as close as feasibly possible. Hell, Wanda was practically sat in the man’s lap. He registered his mama’s presence at his side even though he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight in front of him.  
  
“Who’s that?”  
  
“That’s Charles.” The smile and delight at Erik’s interest was obvious in Edie’s voice.  
  
“What? _The_ Mr Charles?”  
  
Erik couldn’t believe it. When he had heard about this mythical Mr Charles, he hadn’t imagined this; a young and seriously attractive man even though he was dressed as though he was an old man. His eyes devoured the sight in front of him; the creamy skin, brown hair flopping into bright blue eyes and ridiculously full red lips that were practically begging to be kissed. As the man finished his book and the children surrounding him had departed for their parents, Wanda and Pietro had clocked their father and thrown themselves at him, trusting that he would catch them. Their greetings taken care of, Pietro slid down Erik’s body to cling to his leg while Wanda was more than happy to stay perched on Erik’s hip, her arms wrapped around his neck.  
  
“Papa, come and meet Mr Charles.”  
  
Erik had no intention of refusing Wanda, not least because of the fact that if Pietro tugged any harder on his trousers he would rip them. He took Pietro’s hand and allowed himself to be led over to the younger man. As they neared him, he caught sight of them and smiled. Erik was lost.  
  
“Mr Charles! This is our papa.”  
  
“Ah, we meet at last my friend. I’ve heard all about you from the twins.” Charles smiled widely at Erik’s raised eyebrow. “Charles Xavier.”  
  
Erik smiled and held out his hand. “Erik Lehnsherr.”  
  
“It’s a pleasure to meet you in that case. Edie was telling me that you’ve just started your own company. What is it that you do?”  
  
“I’m an engineer.” Even as the words let his mouth, Erik felt slightly guilty. What if Charles worked here and Edie had been bragging about Erik starting and owning his own company. His mental castigation came to a halt as Charles laughed at him, actually _laughed_ at him.  
  
“Nothing of the sort, my friend. I’m actually a professor of genetics at the university. Some of my students work and frequent here so they persuaded me to come and do reading sessions for the children.”  
  
Erik breathed a sigh of relief. “Genetics? That sounds fascinating. What area in particular?”  
  
“The X-gene and mutations.” He broke off as Pietro, who had been attempting to reach a book via a step stool, slipped and fell only to float in mid-air before being lowered to the ground. _You’re not alone my friend._  
  
The words echoed in Erik’s head and he stiffened slightly. “How?”  
  
“I’m a telepath. You obviously have gifts of your own although I couldn’t say what they are.”  
  
“Magnetism. Or at least that’s the easiest way to describe it,” Erik broke off as Wanda whispered something in his ear. “I’m sorry, we’re supposed to be meeting my father for lunch. If we don’t leave now we’ll be late.” The problem was, Erik really didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay here and talk to the ridiculously attractive professor about mutations. “Would you like to get a coffee at some point?” He held his breath while he waited for Charles’ response, the air leaving him in a rush as Charles blushed a lovely rose pink and fumbled in his wallet for a card.  
  
“Oh! I’d love to! Here’s my card.” As Charles handed it over, Erik smiled widely prompting Pietro to wander over.  
  
“Papa, why are you smiling like a shark?”  
  
Erik could have happily murdered his son then and there as Charles snorted with laughter.  
  
“Excuse me Charles, we must be going but I will phone you to arrange coffee.”  
  
“I look forward to it. Goodbye Wanda, Pietro. Erik.”  
  
                                                                                        (~*~)  
  
They had barely sat down for their picnic before his darling children were blabbing everything to Jakob and Edie. His eyes narrowed at Edie’s delight and wondered if this had been her plan all along. There was no way that she could have known that he was a mutant like Erik and the children; after their troubles with Dr. Schmidt when Erik was a child and they had still lived in Germany, Erik’s talents as well as the children’s weren’t discussed outside the family. His parents listened eagerly as the twins wittered on about Charles and how wonderful he was and how he was special like they and papa were but that he could talk in people’s minds and know what they were thinking. It didn’t take long for the twins to become bored, wanting to go and play in the children’s park and Erik allowed them to as long as they stayed where he could see them at all times. As soon as they left, his parents took over the interrogation, trying to eke out whatever information they could from the brief encounter that Erik had had with Charles. Finally, when it became obvious that they weren’t going to get any more information out of him, Edie had obviously made her decision.  
  
“Phone him!” Edie was practically bouncing in what could either be excitement or desperation, he couldn’t quite work it out.  
  
“What now? This very minute?” Erik wanted to phone Charles, very desperately, but the point was that he didn’t want to appear desperate.  
  
“Why not? He gave you his number didn’t he? And you have your mobile with you? What’s stopping you?”  
  
“Nothing.” Erik knew that Edie wouldn’t give up until he’d phoned Charles but he also really wanted to phone Charles anyway. He fished Charles’ card out of his pocket and his mobile, typing in the number and walking away from his parents slightly so that they couldn’t eavesdrop on his conversation. It was bad enough that they were encouraging him but did he really want them to hear him stumble through asking somebody out for the first time in years.  
  
He took a deep breath and pressed ‘call’, pressing the phone to his ear and listening to it ringing. Just as he was convinced that it was going to ring out and go straight to voicemail, the call connected and there was a breathless “Hello?” on the other end.  
  
His brain froze for a moment. What the hell was he doing? It was kicked back into gear when there was another hello from the other end of the phone. “Charles? It’s Erik Lehnsherr. We met in the bookshop all of about thirty minutes ago. I was just wondering if you wanted to meet for coffee at some point?”  
  
“Oh no, I understand completely if you’re too busy. If you’re leaving for a lecture series then you must be incredibly busy.” Erik swung around and shot a glare at his darling family who had been incrementally creeping closer, hoping not to get caught.  
“I’m sorry Charles, I didn’t catch that last bit.” There was a brief pause as Charles repeated himself and then Erik felt the smile taking over his face. “No, dinner sounds wonderful. Yes, I’m free then. No, that’s fine, I know where it is. I’ll meet you there at 8? Yes, ok. Bye, Charles.”  
  
Erik turned around to see his entire family stood watching him, hope written across all of their faces. He decided to make them sweat for a while, just because he felt like it, and took his time getting a soda out of the cooler and tossing back half of it in about three swallows. Only when Wanda stamped her foot looking as though she were about to burst into tears and Pietro was on the verge of a full-blown tantrum did he relent.  
  
“We’ve got a dinner date tomorrow. Are you all happy now?”  
  
                                                                                        (~*~)  
  
Erik doesn’t think he’s ever been this nervous – not even for his first ever date. Then the greatest pressure had been whether or not he’d make a fool of himself in front of his date and thus be ridiculed by all his friends at school. Now there was a bit more pressure, a hell of a lot more pressure. His entire family was invested in this date; not just Erik himself but his parents and his children. He hadn’t dated since the twins had ended up in his custody. Hell, he hadn’t even had sex. Keeping himself under control where Charles Xavier was concerned could be an interesting prospect. The brunet had already had a starring role in his dreams last night and he wouldn’t be going there again because Edie and Wanda were stood outside his bedroom waiting to approve the clothes that they had picked out for him. Looking at himself in the mirror, he had to admit that they’d done well. They had steered clear of the three-piece suits that he wore to work every day and had dressed him entirely in black. He ignored the sports jacket that they had left out and picked up his leather jacket instead; he had a beautiful motorbike that he didn’t get to ride nearly enough and a jaunt through the city to the Manhattan restaurant Charles had picked out would be just what he needed. He opened the door to his mother and daughter, obligingly turning in a circle for them.  
  
“Well?”  
  
“You look really handsome papa.”  
  
Erik smiled widely, not noticing Pietro’s arrival.  
  
“Papa, if you keep smiling like a shark you’re going to scare Mr Charles away.”  
  
Pietro was so serious that Erik crouched down in front of him, giving him a reassuring hug. “Well, we don’t want that do we? I’ll do my very best not to smile like a shark.” He hugged both children and kissed them on the forehead. “You both be good for your grandparents. Do what they tell you, go to bed on time and I’ll see you in the morning for breakfast.”  
  
He stood up and pulled on his jacket, stowing his wallet and phone before grabbing the keys to his motorbike and walking out the front door. As he swung his leg over the bike and revved the engine he could feel the slow coil of anticipation low in his belly.  
  
There was no traffic on his way to the restaurant and just as he was parking the bike outside the restaurant, he saw Charles stepping out of a cab that had just pulled up. His throat went dry as Charles threw his head back and laughed at a joke the cab driver had just made and he prayed that he didn’t fuck this up. He removed his helmet and walked over to Charles, whose eyes lit up when he saw Erik and, Erik was rather gratified to see, made little attempt to hide his appreciation of what Erik was wearing. He gestured for Charles to go inside, his hand hovering at the small of Charles’ back, almost but not quite touching and was relieved when they were shown to a smaller side table.  
  
By the end of the evening, standing outside the front door to Charles’ townhouse (a townhouse, in New York?! If Erik didn’t now know that Charles’ family were old money he’d have had a heart attack) wondering where the evening had gone. He had never been a people person, they annoyed him too much and on dates he had a tendency to zone out on the other person, they could never seem to keep his attention. The women that he had gone on dates with, Magda being the exception, had all turned out to be vapid idiots with ridiculously low IQ’s and who hadn’t been able to sustain a conversation for longer than about ten minutes. Tonight had been the complete opposite. Charles was a professor, a professor of genetics, and he was Erik’s equal which had made for fantastic conversation – and debate when they had ventured into the territory of mutations. He didn’t want this evening to end. He had never been attracted to anybody on so many levels, not even Magda. As he lingered on the steps outside Charles’ home, the front door having been open for the last ten minutes as they tried desperately to draw out the conversation, neither of them wanting to say goodnight. Finally, Erik realised that one of them needed to bite the bullet so to speak, and it wasn’t going to be Charles. He leant down and kissed Charles on the cheek.  
  
“Goodnight Charles.”  
  
He had barely reached the foot of the stairs before Charles was practically tripping down the stairs  
  
“Don’t go. Stay.”  
  
Erik groaned and he knew that there was no way that he was going to be leaving. Not when Charles was looking at him like that. He willingly followed Charles up the stairs and through the front door, waiting for Charles to lock it behind him before plastering himself against Charles’ back, pressing kisses along the column of Charles’ throat and growling low in his throat as Charles tipped his head, baring more skin for Erik to taste and mark. He had no idea how they made it up the stairs because they barely separated an inch for the entire time. Several times they nearly tripped and fell, nearly knocked things over but they were finally in Charles’ bedroom, in Charles’ bed.  
  
“We really should lock the door,” Charles gasped out as Erik slid a hand up beneath his shirt. “Raven has a horrible habit of wandering in without knocking.”  
  
There was no way in hell that Erik was getting up now. Not when he had Charles squirming delightfully underneath him on a ridiculously large bed. Absolutely not. He took Charles’ earlobe between his teeth, even as he locked the door with a simple flick of his wrist.  
  
“That’s an incredibly groovy mutation that you have my friend.”  
  
“Groovy? Really, Charles. We’re in the 21st century now; do people actually use that word anymore?”  
  
“I’ll have you know Erik, that there’s nothing wrong with the word groovy and, oh god, do that again!”  
  
Erik smirked to himself as he nipped at Charles’ collarbone with his teeth before moving back up to claim those full lips that were even redder now as a result of Erik’s kisses. This wasn’t how he had planned their date to end but he certainly wasn’t complaining.  
  
                                                                                        (~*~)  
  
Erik moved back into the bedroom, his wet hair slicked back and dripping slightly down his neck to discover that Charles was still asleep. The only movement he had made was to roll into the warm space left by Erik’s body. He stirred slightly as Erik neared the bed, his hair rumpled, eyes heavy-lidded with sleep and looking absolutely delectable and debauched. It was taking all of Erik’s not inconsiderate willpower not to strip his clothes off again and crawl back into bed.  
  
“Mmmph, Erik? What time’s it?”  
  
“Six am.” Charles moaned and the sound went straight to Erik’s cock.  
  
“It’s too early. Come back to bed.”  
  
“I can’t, I’m sorry. I promised the twins that I’d be home for breakfast.”  
  
“Lunch then?”  
  
“I thought you were busy preparing for your lecture series?”  
  
“I’ll make time for you. I could come to your office?”  
  
“One pm sound okay?”  
  
                                                                                        ~*~  
  
With the speed of how things had moved in their relationship (namely ending up in bed with each other on their first date), Erik had been worried about how the twins would take his relationship with Charles. They had never had to share Erik before, not really, because Erik’s parents didn’t count. When you combined the dates that Erik had with Charles with the fact that the company was just starting out (although the fact that when Erik, Azazel and Janos had left Stryker Engineering they had taken quite a few of their clients with them had helped), the number of hours that he had to spend with the twins had decreased dramatically. It didn’t seem to make a difference thought; the twins positively adored Charles and he seemed to return the sentiment. When he had asked his mama about this, she had said that when they weren’t at daycare, they would often meet Charles at the bookstore or the park. So, given the Lehnsherr family membership to the Charles Xavier Adoration Society, Erik really shouldn’t have been surprised by the way that his precocious offspring’s minds worked.  
  
 _***FLASHBACK***_  
  
“Papa?” Wanda was half-asleep courtesy of the story that Charles had just read to both her and Pietro but she obviously had something that she wanted to ask him.  
  
“What is it schatz?”  
  
“When you marry Mr Charles will he be our mama?”  
  
Erik was stunned speechless. He hadn’t even thought that far ahead. Marriage? He wouldn’t deny that he loved Charles but to make him part of their family forever. To make him Erik’s forever. How would Charles feel about becoming part of his family?  
  
“Would you like me to marry Mr Charles?” His question was tentative as he sat down at the foot of Wanda’s bed and looked over at Pietro who had sat up in bed, his interest peaked at the conversation. He held a hand out for Pietro who leapt out of bed and ran across the floor to curl into Erik’s side as Wanda claimed her usual spot in Erik’s lap. “Well? Would you like me to marry Mr Charles?”  
  
“Ja papa,” was the sleepy answer from both children.  
  
“Why?” He needed to know, needed the twins to be okay with this if he ever decided to take that step.  
  
“Because he’s nice and pretty.”  
  
“He reads good stories and he bakes cookies.” Pietro yawned before continuing, “he’s smiley and he gives good hugs and he makes us feel safe like you.”  
  
Erik had to swallow heavily at Wanda’s next words as she fiddled with a button on his shirt. “He makes you happy papa.”  
  
“Yes he does.” Mein Gott did Charles make him happy.  
  
“So would Mr Charles be our mama?”  
  
Wanda was fixated on that point and wouldn’t be distracted from it. Erik tucked her in again and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I don’t know schatz. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”  
  
 _***END FLASHBACK***_  
  
“Wanda and Pietro asked me an interesting question today.” Charles spoke as he made the next move in their game of chess.  
  
“Oh really?” Erik was preoccupied by the move that Charles had just made and how to counter it so he answered absentmindedly. “What was that?”  
  
“They wanted to know if I would be their mama when we get married.”  
  
“Scheisse.” Erik swore and took a healthy swallow of the scotch sat at his side. “What did you say?”  
  
“I told them that I would ask their papa. Why would they ask me that?”  
  
“Why do you think Charles? Because my children adore you and they want you to become part of their family, part of our family. They’re six years old. To them it’s the most logical thing. They already have a papa; if you were to marry me that would make you their mama.” He looked over at Charles. “How would you feel if they called you their mama?”  
  
“What about their real mother? How would she feel about me usurping her place?”  
  
“Charles, you really are infuriating sometimes. Can you answer the damn question? You wouldn’t be usurping Magda’s place because she doesn’t have a place in their lives. She dumped them on my doorstep when they were six months old and she hasn’t tried to get in touch with them since. They don’t remember her. They are my children and they have no mother but they want one and they want it to be you.”  
  
Charles’ answer, when it came, was quiet. “What do you want?”  
  
Erik didn’t even have to think about it. “I want the same as the children.”  
  
Charles gave a huffing little laugh. “Well, it isn’t what I had envisioned but … you can tell the twins that if they want me to be their mama then I would be delighted.”  
  
The chess pieces tumbled to the floor as Erik lunged across it to kiss Charles fiercely.  
  
                                                                                         (~*~)  
  
The first time that the twins called him mama would have been wonderful had it not been for the circumstances and the fact that it happened in front of Moira, the only person who seemed to disapprove of his relationship with Erik. Moira McTaggart was a fellow professor at Columbia but while the rest of Charles’ friends were delighted that he had met Erik and that he was happy, Moira remained staunch in her conviction that Erik was going to hurt him and nothing that Charles said could persuade her otherwise.  
  
The children were spending the day with Charles as they had been politely asked to leave the school that they had been attending. There had been an incident that they had been involved in and their abilities inadvertently revealed to the rest of their class. While human-mutant relations had come a long way, there were still close-minded bigots out there and unfortunately, Wanda and Pietro had suffered. They had been incredibly clingy, refusing to leave Charles, even as he tried to defuse Erik’s anger, tried to persuade him that destroying the careers of the teachers responsible wouldn’t help the twins in the long run and it wouldn’t fully assuage Erik’s anger. So, until such a time as they found a new school for the twins, they were taking it in turns between staying with their grandparents or Charles as Erik was out on site all week.  
  
They had quietly been sat in Charles’ office, the twins reading and drawings, when Moira had arrived with the list of thesis candidates and the subjects so they could draw up the lists of who would supervise who. They were at it for just over an hour before the children became restless, sliding down from the large sofa that they had claimed and moving over to the desk where Charles and Moira sat. With a smile, Charles picked them up one after the other, depositing Pietro on the desk and Wanda on his lap, where her hands automatically tangled in his cardigan.  
  
“Mama, when are we going for lunch?”  
  
Charles’ smile could have powered the university for a week at Wanda’s question. “Very soon Wanda, I just need to finish this.”  
  
“They’re calling you mama now?” The scorn in Moira’s voice was tangible.  
  
“On second thoughts, we’ll go now sweetheart. We can call your papa and see if he can come as well.”  
  
At a single look from Charles, Moira let herself out of the room and as she did so, Charles couldn’t help but be disappointed that what should have been such a special moment felt somewhat tainted by Moira’s derision.  
  
                                                                                      ~*~  
  
Erik had been agonising over this for weeks, turning it over and over in his mind as to when was going to be the best time to take the plunge while at the same time ensuring that Charles didn’t pick up any extraneous thoughts. One of the disadvantages to dating a telepath. Well, more than dating if he were honest. They were practically married already and he had questioned the need to make it official but apparently there were some things that Jakob and Edie were traditionalists about. They hadn’t batted an eyelid when he had turned up unmarried with six month old twins but living with his lover of nearly two years and said twins was frowned upon. He couldn’t quite fathom his parents sometimes. He was fairly sure that it was Edie wanting to ensure that Charles couldn’t run off or leave them without a fight because if Edie had had her way then Charles and Erik would have been married as soon as possible after their first date. He’s not complaining though. He likes the idea that Charles will be his even if he isn’t taking Erik’s name (he doesn’t even know how that works when it’s two men getting married) and yes, he is fully aware of how possessive that sounds and he doesn’t really care.  
  
He and the twins had been living with Charles for the last year and a half in the Xavier townhouse. The lease on the flat that Erik had been renting had come to an end and, after much persuasion, Erik had agreed that there was very little point taking out another lease when they were both certain that they were in this for the long haul. They had had to do a fair amount of child-proofing but anything that wasn’t child-friendly went to the family estate in Westchester that Erik knew existed but had never seen. The luxury had been slightly galling and difficult for Erik to accept at first but then he’d seen just how little Charles cared for it. Now though, he was used to the luxury and home was the Xavier townhouse where it was open season for friends and family. Raven had her own key of course and Charles had had one made for Jakob and Edie without hesitation. Charles’ students were always around and Azazel and Janos, Erik’s business partners (and dare he say it, friends), normally appeared at some point.  
  
So, given the number of people who could wander in at any given time, having a romantic dinner for just the two of them at home was completely out of the question. He’d bribed Raven into babysitting the twins but he’d heard her on the phone and her friends were coming over so who knew what words his children would have learnt by the time they got home. What he’d done instead was book a table at their favourite restaurant and told Charles, who had office hours until late, that Erik would pick him up from his office. He might as well do it all properly.  
  
The question of what to do about a ring had been an interesting one. With them both being men did he need to get an engagement ring? If he did, did he need to go the whole hog and get a diamond ring? Surely not. Charles wasn’t remotely feminine by any stretch of the imagination. He’d discussed it with Azazel and Janos and come to the decision that while a ring wasn’t necessary, he wanted Charles to have one and to wear one. It was that possessive trait that he had. He had scoured jewellers on his lunch break but had found nothing that had jumped out at him as being perfect for Charles. When he had talked to Raven about it (he’d asked for her permission or rather blessing to marry Charles – he didn’t have a bloody death wish), she’d given him a scathing look and pointedly asked him what his mutation was again. He had cringed in mortification as enlightenment had dawned, he still did even now. That realisation had delayed his proposal even further as he now had to source materials and come up with a design but in a way, in more ways than one, it was better because the ring could be exactly what he wanted and it also satisfied that little part of him that wanted to shout out ‘mine!’ every time he saw Charles. He had shaped and crafted this ring himself, knew every nuance of it and it was barely a stretch for him to reach out and sense it. If Charles accepted his proposal (and Erik could see no reason why he wouldn’t), Erik would also make the wedding bands for them both.  
  
He had left work early, ensuring that even if the traffic was horrendous he would be at Charles’ office by the time he had finished with his office hours, not convinced by Charles’ promise that he would finish on time even if there were still students waiting. That was one fault Charles had that Erik had never suffered from; he was too damn nice to everybody. Erik was more than familiar with the way to Charles’ office and he made his way there and took in the queue waiting to speak to his partner in dismay. He glanced at his watch and mentally calculated the amount of time that it would take to get to the restaurant from here and whether he needed to phone them and push back their reservation. He didn’t move even a fraction of an inch as he felt the mental warmth of Charles projecting towards him.  
  
 _“No need for that. I’m finished for the evening.”_  
  
Erik eyed the queue and wondered, not for the first time, if Charles was crazy. _“I don’t think so Charles. Have you seen the queue out here?”_  
  
 _“If they really need to speak to me they are all aware of my email address.”_ Charles had barely finished the sentence before he appeared in the doorway ushering a student out in front of him. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m afraid that my office hours are finished for the evening and I will be unable to stay later as I have a prior engagement. Please feel free to email me or return at another time.” He turned to Erik with a soft smile, “Let me just gather my things and then we can leave.”  
  
Erik nodded and slouched against the doorframe, looking disinterestedly as the students who had yet to dissipate as if they were in shock that Charles had decided to actually end his office hours at the official time for once. He didn’t have to wait long before Charles reappeared, rather more formally dressed than he had been for teaching. Raven had obviously dressed her brother for the evening, knowing just how important it was going to be. He was wearing a slim-cut dark three-piece suit with an open-collared shirt the same blue as his eyes and Erik was relieved that he had taken a second suit to work and changed. He rolled his eyes at the stacks of marking in Charles’ hands and relieved him of them, placing them carefully on the bookcase just inside Charles’ office.  
  
“You won’t be doing any marking tonight Charles, there’s no point bringing it home.”  
  
“Well, I thought we were only going out for dinner. Surely I’ll have time to do them later tonight when the children have gone to bed?”  
Charles seemed to be oblivious to the fact that they were having this conversation in front of his students but Erik wasn’t and he lowered his voice accordingly.  
  
“Do you trust me?”  
  
Huge eyes turned on him. “Oh Erik! Of course I trust you, I didn’t mean to imply that….”  
  
“Then trust me when I say that you won’t get any marking done tonight süßer.”  
  
Charles flushed slightly at the term of endearment, admittedly one of the more ridiculous that Erik used, and spun around to lock his office and compose himself before allowing Erik to take his hand and lead him to the car, accompanied by a chorus of whispers about how adorable the professor and his boyfriend were from the remaining students. The drive didn’t take as long as Erik thought it would; it’s as though even the traffic knew that he wouldn’t appreciate being delayed. He knows it’s cliché and corny as hell that this is their favourite restaurant but this is where they had their first date over three years ago and it had just seemed right that this was where he should propose. It had certainly earned him points with both his mama and Raven; they had both gone a bit teary when he had told them the significance.  
  
Judging by the grin that lit up Charles’ face when they pulled up at the restaurant, he didn’t care that it was cliché in the slightest. His smile could have powered the sun and Erik felt rather smug. Erik parked the car and led Charles inside with a proprietary hand on the small of his back. The restaurant was one of those that not only had the standard restaurant layout but also a number of booths towards the kitchens at the back for those patrons who wanted a bit more privacy. Erik had reserved one of these; he may have been proposing in public but he want a modicum of privacy.  
  
All through the first two courses, Erik was just a mass of nerves and was thoroughly distracted. He was constantly debating about when the best time to propose would be, whilst trying to shield his thoughts from Charles so that he wouldn’t catch an errant thought and ruin the whole thing. By the time the dishes from their main course had been cleared away and they had ordered dessert, he couldn’t take it anymore. He felt for the familiar circle of metal as he gathered his courage and spoke, taking care to shield his thoughts still. “Charles, there’s something that I need to ask you.”  
  
“Of course Erik, you know you can ask me anything. What is it?”  
  
This was it. It was now or never. He stood up and moved to the side of the booth before gracefully sliding onto one knee, producing the metal band as he did so.  
  
“Charles Francis Xavier, would you do me the honour of marrying me?”  
  
There. He’d said it. But why wasn’t Charles saying anything back? There was a horrendously long pause where Erik tried desperately not to fidget like a nervous teenager but he’d never been particularly patient.  
  
“Charles? Are you going to say anything?” Oh god, now those huge blue eyes were filling with tears and was a marriage proposal from Erik really that horrible? “Charles?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“What?” Had Charles just said what Erik thought he had said? The tears were still there, in fact they’d spilled over onto Charles’ cheeks but he was smiling again so that was probably a good thing.  
  
“Yes I’ll marry you.”  
  
And god, those were the best four words Erik had ever heard. He leant forward and kissed Charles hard before pulling back. He was in a daze as he slid the band onto Charles’ finger, only dimly aware that the waiter had returned with their dessert.  
  
 _“I want to go home. I can’t sit through dessert now. Can we take it home?”_ Charles’ words echoed through his mind and he had no complaints.  
  
“Can you box up the dessert and bring the check?”  
  
It seemed to take forever, what with Charles projecting a whole mass of feelings at him; want, need, love, happiness and he escorted Charles out of the restaurant and into the car as quickly as possible. By the time that they had arrived home, Erik was fairly certain he’d run more than a few red lights and broken just about every single speed limit. He was just about to unlock the front door when Charles placed a hand on his arm, looking up at him with bright eyes.  
  
“Can we wait until tomorrow to tell everyone? I want you all to myself tonight.”  
  
Well, there was no way that Erik was going to deny Charles that. The twins would be in bed and no doubt Raven and her friends wouldn’t even realise they were back. It was the work of moments to open the door silently, sneak up the stairs and then the bedroom door was swinging shut behind them, locking with barely a flick of Erik’s wrist.  
  
                                                                                        ~*~  
  
Erik knew that he should be asleep, knew that he would regret it in the morning but he just couldn’t turn his brain off. Knowing that, he was amazed that Charles was still asleep although that could probably be attributed to the amount of alcohol the smaller man had put away throughout the day. Christmas Day itself was nearly over and, in exactly ten days time, on January 4th, he would be a married man.  
  
According to Raven, everything was organised down to the smallest detail and all he had to do was take care of the wedding bands and all Charles had to do was turn up. When they had questioned this, commenting that seeing as it was their wedding surely there was something they could do, they had been shot down in flames with Raven complaining that if it had been up to them then they would simply have gone down to City Hall with a couple of witnesses and that would have been it. At her comment Charles had gone white, as though he had remembered all of a sudden what Raven could, and would, do and had promptly panicked, asking that surely that was what was happening. She had simply given him that innocent look that they both knew signalled trouble and said that they should trust her and that they’d find out on the 4th of January. They didn’t know anything beyond the fact that they were wearing tuxedos (they had been dragged to a tailor the Xavier family had used for years) and that Wanda was a flower girl and Pietro was being entrusted with the rings (Erik wasn’t completely certain this was a good idea but Charles was an eternal optimist).  
  
Christmas had proved a sufficient distraction given that the house had been overflowing with other people and Erik had found himself thoroughly enjoying the fact that there were people everywhere, not least for the fact that there were numerous people who could be coerced into looking after the twins. He had delighted in palming his darling children off on Hank or Alex or any of the other teenagers milling around so that he could drag Charles off to their bedroom, the study, that rather roomy cupboard they used for coats and even one particularly memorable encounter in the kitchen. That had been memorable not only for the fact that they had discovered that if Charles ended up sitting on the kitchen table it put them on an evening footing height-wise but it also made it very easy for Charles to wrap his legs around Erik’s hips to tug him closer, but also for the fact that Alex had walked in just as Charles had tugged Erik’s shirt off (he had already lost his own) and stuck his hands down the back of Erik’s trousers while Erik fiddled with the belt of Charles’ trousers even as his mouth was occupied at Charles’ collarbone. The resulting scream (remarkably like Wanda when she saw a particularly large spider) and cries that he needed brain bleach or therapy (preferably both) had brought everybody running and Alex still couldn’t look at either Erik or Charles without going slightly green.  
  
Erik didn’t really care though; it was good for the kid. What did he think happened – that people reached a certain age and that was it, no sex for the rest of their lives? He wanted Charles just as much now as he had the first time that he had seen him and he wasn’t going to apologise for that. To anyone. Charles had completed the job that the twins started, smoothing out the rough edges, making him a bit softer. When he had gone to meet the twins and his mama that day in the bookshop he didn’t have a clue that it would have affected his life so much but there would never be a single moment that he would regret it. How could he? He had ended up with Charles and this motley family. He had ended up with a fiancé who loved his children as much as Erik did – enough to let them call him mama even though he was very much a man. He had ended up with someone who loved Erik completely and utterly, the same way that Erik loved him. He was, truthfully, still convinced deep-down that Charles was too good for him – _too good, too honourable, too nice_ – but if Charles wanted him then he wasn’t going to say anything.  
  
A soft kiss was pressed to his chest as Charles’ voice echoed quietly through his mind. _‘Stop thinking so much. Sleep. Love you.’_  
  
He had snuggled closer and fallen asleep again before Erik could respond. As far as Erik was concerned, January (and his wedding) couldn’t come soon enough.

**Author's Note:**

> i_know_its_0ver wanted fic for the song January Wedding by The Avett Brothers and it’s been a pleasure to write this thoroughly fluffy fic. I fell in love with the song when she gave me it as part of a Leon/Gwaine fanmix but decided to write a modern (but still mutant) AU for XMFC instead. It’s a series of snapshots leading up to their wedding. I hope you like it!!!
> 
> Thank you soooooo much to my absolutely wonderful best friend thedragonsinger who has, not only put up me randomly texting her chunks of this, then emailing whole sections and then finally, tonight, did the quickest turnover that I've ever seen and read all 7,500 words for me. She is completely and utterly awesome and I love her to bits!!!


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